Kiss Me I'm Irish
by sandra.barret
Summary: Emma decides to bring some St. Patrick's Day fun to Storybrooke, but is the Mayor ready for this?


Emma Swan stared down at Regina. "Seriously, you've never celebrated St. Patrick's Day, not even once?"

Regina crossed her arms above her immaculate desk. "Miss Swan, there are no people of Irish descent in Storybrooke."

"Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day!"

Regina sighed. The woman was impossible. No respect for authority, regal or mayoral. Why she put up with her was a mystery Regina didn't want to consider at the moment. She signed the paper in front of her. "If it's that important to you. Here is your permit for a celebration on the town commons."

Emma grabbed up the permit. "Thanks. You'll have fun. Um, any chance one of your Fairytale people used to be a lepricaun?"

Regina raised one graceful eyebrow.

"Hey, it was a logical question. You've got dwarves and an ex-cricket."

"Nothing about you is logical, Miss Swan." Regina placed her pen back in its holder and stood, a sign any normal person would take as a dismissal.

Emma proved once again to not fit that 'normal' mold. "Can I count on you for some green fireworks since you've got your magic back?"

Regina glowered. "We are done here, Miss Swan."

"Fine, fine." Emma stuffed the permit in the pocket of her red leather jacket and left the Mayoral mansion in a rush.

Regina followed behind her and shut her office door. She leaned against the oak door and sighed. Truly, and impossible woman.

#

Emma's first stop was the grammar school. It was Friday and she had only two days to pull this celebration off. She half ran through the corridor to Mary Margaret's class. Mary Margaret gave her a surprised look that she ignored. Henry waved at her from the back of the class and Emma gave him a big thumbs up. He was her partner in crime for this event.

"Sorry to interrupt your class, Miss Blanchard," she said.

"You could call me Snow, or, you know..."

Emma held up a hand to stop her. She still wasn't up to thinking of her roommate as her mother. "Okay, Snow. We have a special town event this Sunday, and I would like to recruit your class to help us with the decorations." She turned back to the class. "We're having a St. Patrick's Day party on Sunday!"

A chorus of joy answered her, even though none of them really knew what the celebration was about. She and Henry would fix that, though. "Okay, with your approval, Snow, Henry has the full plans on what we need."

Henry pulled out a notebook stuffed with papers and stetches. The grin on his face was ear to ear. "Mom said we can have the party?"

"Yep." Emma patted her jacket pocket. "The ink's barely dry on the permit."

"You got Regina to agree with this?" Snow asked.

"Agree? She's going to be Master of Ceremonies!" That was a bit of a stretch, but it still got on Emma's nerves that everyone assumed Regina was evil to the core. One look at Henry should have told them all otherwise.

"Okay, I have to run. Lot's to get ready before Sunday!" She still had to get the food set up with Ruby and Granny, tables from the town hall with some help from dubious but willing dwarves, and check her laundry for something green to wear.

#

Regina marched into the Sheriff's office on Saturday evening, barely able to keep the magic from exploding from her fingertips as they clutched a pale green flyer. The object of her wrath sat behind the worn desk with her boots up on the edge.

Emma sat up. "Mayor, always a pleasure to see you. What's up?"

Regina slapped the wringled flyer on the desk. "This is what is up, Miss Swan."

Emma glanced at the paper. "Hey, Henry did a great job, don't you think? 'Storybrooke's First Annual St. Patrick's Day Celebration, Sunday, Town Commons.' I love the rainbow over the pot of gold."

"Read the next part," Regina said through clenched teeth.

Emma glanced back down. "Oh, that."

"Oh, that," Regina repeated. "I did not agree to that."

Emma stepped around the desk. "Come on, who else could be Master of Ceremonies? You're the Mayor AND the Queen."

"Evil Queen, if you recall Miss Swan."

Emma took a step closer. "I don't see that. I don't think you do, either."

Regina was face to face with Emma, close enough to inhale Emma's perfume. Too close. She took a step backward. "Either way, you should have asked first."

Emma actually looked contrite for once. "Yeah, I should have. Sorry." She gave Regina a sly grin. "You'll do it though, right? I mean Henry made the flyers."

"Using our shared son to manipulate me yet again, Miss Swan? You'll be earning the title of Evil Sheriff at this rate."

Emma's grin widened. "We'd make a hell of a pair."

#

By Sunday afternoon, the town commons was fully transformed. Green streamers hung from the bare trees, and a string of green tea lights adorned each table, a centerpiece shared with the green carnations Emma had driven to Portland, Maine and back to get. The sun dipped down behind the library clock tower as the residents of Storybrooke gathered for the festivities. Most wore some level of green and those who hadn't, were finding out the price, thanks to Henry's classmates.

Emma spotted Regina and Henry off to one side. Regina's ungarded expression held a soft smile that reached to her eyes for once as she spoke to her son. Why couldn't she be that way more often? Regina wore her typical black skirt and boots, and black blazer over a cream white blouse. It was the perfect combination to highlight her raven black hair, but not perfect enough for today. Emma straightened her sweater and jacket and marched over to the pair.

Regina turned to her. "Miss Swan."

"Sorry to have to do this to you, Madame Mayor, but rules are rules." Emma's grin turned that little bit evil and she reached around and pinched Regina's firm backside.

Regina's expression turned almost purple as she swatted at Emma's hand, but missed. "What on Earth do you think you are doing," she said in a harsh whisper.

Henry burst out laughing. "I told you to wear something green, Mom."

Regina waved him off. "Find some of your friends, dear. The Sheriff and I need to have a little chat."

Emma held in her laugh until Henry trotted off, then she couldn't help herself. "Oh the expression on your face was priceless! I should have had someone video this."

Regina glared at the crowd. "You did not!"

"No, no, I didn't. I should have though, being the Evil Sheriff and all." Emma's sides were hurting from laughing.

"You are getting entirely too comfortable in that role, Miss Swan."

Emma held her sides and took a deep breath. "Wow. You've never actually been pinched before, have you?"

Regina glared at her. "And I never shall be again. You will pay for this, Miss Swan. You can count on that."

"Oh come on, Regina. It's a party. You're the Master of Ceremonies and everything. It's a night to have some fun."

Regina straightened her blazer. "Yes. Let's get that foolishness over with." She took a step around Emma but Emma put a hand on her arm, a hand that Regina glared at until Emma dropped it.

"Look no more pinching from me, but if you don't get some green, it won't be the last pinch you'll get tonight." Emma looked around and then grabbed a green carnation off the nearest table and snapped off most of the stem. She bowed slightly and offered it to Regina. "My Queen."

Regina lifted it from Emma's fingers, her eyes held a glimmer of something Emma hadn't seen before. "What am I to do with this, Miss Swan?"

"May I?" Emma held out her hand and Regina gave her back the carnation. Emma slipped it through a button hold in Regina's blazer, her fingers brushing the material lightly. She stepped back, eyed up her handiwork, then shook her head. "That won't do."

Emma took the carnation and studied Regina. Brown eyes watched her as she raised her hand and slipped the carnation behind Regina's right ear. She brushed back a strand of Regina's hair, tucking it back in place. It was the softest hair and she resisted the urge to linger there.

"Um, yeah. That's better." Emma took a step back, so she could regain her ability to breathe.

Regina's lips parted slightly, but whatever she was going to say was interrupted when Ruby came over.

"Hey you two. Isn't it time to get this party started?"

Emma gave Regina a lopsided grin. "Have fun with it, Madame Mayor."

"As you wish, Miss Swan." Regina followed Ruby back through the crowd. Emma stayed in the shadows until her blush settled back down. Then she joined the rest of the town gathered around the central gazebo to watch Regina.

#

Regina wrapped up her speech as quickly as possible. She'd given many speeches, but this was the first time she felt completly flustered, and she knew just whom to blame. A blond head stood distractingly off to the left as she spoke to the town. To her surpise, not all the faces turned up at her were the usual hostile expressions. She could probably place the blame for that on one impossible Sheriff as well. Someone had convinced half the town that this party was her idea.

Regina took one last breath and ended her speech. "Enjoy the food and fun, and may the Luck of the Irish be with all of you tonight."

The crowd actually cheered as she stepped off the gazebo steps.

Ruby was the first at her side. "Well done, Mayor. I didn't know you were such a party person."

"Yes, well, the Sheriff can be quite convincing when she wants to be."

"I bet." Ruby winked at her. "I saw what she did to you, before you got that green carnation.

Regina shut her eyes. This was not happening. When did the Evil part of Evil Queen get such disrespect before. "I suggest you forget you saw that."

"Oh, I have something much better in mind," Ruby said as she pulled a badge out of her pocket. "Now's not the time to give up on your revenge instinct." She pushed the badge into Regina's hand, and walked off with a wide grin. "That should teach her not to pinch a Queen."

"This whole town has gone insane," Regina grumbled. She looked down at the green badge in her hand and smiled, an evil, wicked smile. She looked up and scanned the crowd for a particular blond that needed to learn a lesson. Regina straightened her carnation and headed off.

She found Emma leaning against an old oak tree, drinking some questionable green liquid. "Miss Swan."

Emma actually jumped. "Oh, Mayor. Great speech."

"Thank you." Regina gave her a cool smile. "And thank you for the green carnation. I'm sure it saved me unknown torture tonight."

Emma grinned. "Glad I could save you some pinches."

"Yes, ever the Savior, Miss Swan. But I do want to return that favor." She pulled the badge out of her blazer pocket but did not let Emma see what was written on it. She stepped close to Emma. "If I may?"

Emma's eyes widened slightly and she nodded. Regina was enjoying this immensely. She brushed Emma's jacket open wider to reveal more of the green sweater that hugged her body. The woman wore madeningly tight clothing. "I don't want to ruin your leather jacket," she said as an explanation.

Regina pinned the badge on Emma's sweater, above her chest, and gave it a gentle pat. "That's better," she said, barely above a whisper.

Emma struggled to read the upside down white block letters on the green badge. "Kiss.. Me.. I'm Irish?"

Regina slipped her hand in Emma's open jacket and rested it on her hip. "Rules, are rules, Miss Swan." Her courage nearly failed her, this close to Emma. Then Emma licked her lips and Regina let go of her fear. She closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to Emma's.

Warm lips returned her kiss, and then parted for her. Regina pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. Emma's hands were in her hair as the world faded to include only the two of them and the kiss they shared. It lasted a lifetime, and yet was over too quickly.

#

Emma leaned her forehead against Regina's. "Is that what a Regal kiss feels like?"

Regina smiled. "Or perhaps what an Evil Sheriff's kiss feels like."

"Either way, I'm game for more." She stood straight but didn't leave Regina's arms. "Just one thing." She took the carnation and moved it from Regina's right ear to her left. "That's better."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Because?"

"Because a flower behind the left ear means you are taken. And you, Madame Mayor, are most definitely taken." Emma leaned in and captured Regina's lips in her own once again.

Regina let out a soft moan, and let go of all her remaining inhibitions.

Above the town commons, the darkened night sky was lit up in a brilliant display of green and purple fireworks. Some assumed it was a stash Emma brought from outside the town borders. Others thought maybe Rumplestilskin had crawled out of his shop finally to join the fun.

But Ruby knew better as she glanced at the new couple from behind an evergreen bush. "Now maybe she won't need any more curses to get her 'Happily Ever After."


End file.
